


What Choice But Simple Duty (But Still)

by Shamelessly_Radiant



Series: The Neva Still Flows [2]
Category: Anastasia (1997), Anastasia (Broadway Musical)
Genre: Character Study, F/M, Gen, Or like introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 01:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11243679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shamelessly_Radiant/pseuds/Shamelessly_Radiant
Summary: He thought himself in love with Anya, the simple, hard working girl that fit so well in the new order of Russia, but it is Anastasia that stares him down as his hand is wrapped around the cold metal of his gun.Companion piece to A Revolution Is A Simple Thing (But You Are Not)- Gleb's side of things.





	What Choice But Simple Duty (But Still)

He thought himself in love with Anya, the simple, hard working girl that fit so well in the new order of Russia, but it is Anastasia that stares him down as his hand is wrapped around the cold metal of his gun.

It is Anastasia who tells him she is her father’s daughter.

It is Anastasia who urges him to finish it.

His finger is ready on the trigger; he has a duty to fulfil, he has the past to bury- but still.

He cannot bring himself to do it.

He lowers the gun, looks at the panicked girl standing in front of him. Barely a woman, in too fancy clothes. A princess?

He wants to hold her safe and warm, to rescue her from the storm. He wants to take her home- Anya. But this is not Anya that stands before him. This is a Romanov, the embodiment of all that was wrong with Russia. His Russia, his beauty.

His father did a proud and final task, and now it is up to him to finish it.

He can’t.

(His father died of shame. His father would not have wanted him to do the same.)

Before he slipped into the room, he’d imagined this conversation to go quite differently: he would offer to take her home, _home_. With him. She’d nod her assent, leave this scam behind, and he’d gather her up in his arms, take her back to Leningrad.

Before he met her, he imagined doing everything in his power to protect Russia. A revolution is- _was_ , after all, a simple thing. If he’d known then that there was a Romanov still alive, he would not have hesitated to pull the trigger.

But now, she has changed him for good. Anya.

So, they strike a truce. He allows himself _one_ touch, one lingering kiss on her forehead.

He allows himself one last look at her face, her lovely face.

He bows. For Anastasia.

Then, he steels his spine, squares his shoulders, leaves the room, the castle, Paris, France.

Leaves her behind.

What choice does he have but simple duty?

He does not look back.


End file.
